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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chair — a leader
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bass — the fish
  12. field — for sport
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. field — farmland
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bank — for money
  18. field — a subject

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com